For low battery problems I highly recommend the battery be replaced by a professional. Just take it to any shop that repairs keyboards and they should be able to do it. The battery itself costs about 3 dollars and needs to be soldered in. The labor charge is where you will shell out the cash as most shops have a minimum fee. It's worth it though.

For a short review:

I really do love this keyboard. You won't get any acidy or warm analog sounds from it (as it's digital) but the sequencer is simple, fun to use and won't get in your way. Pretty good for synth-pop I'd say. Programming sounds is tedious without computer assistance. If something happened to mine I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Thursday-Jun-12-2003 at 13:57

adrian
a hobbyist user
from USA
writes:

used to be a professional and the sq-1 plus that I owned was the easiest keyboard I know of to build songs on. Very intuitive sequencer interface. The sounds were warm and had good programmability. Controllers were versitile as well so a dedicated programmer could easily add his/her personal touch to the sound.

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Monday-Jan-13-2003 at 01:45

don-l
a part-time user
from united states
writes:

i've had my sq1+ for over 5 years now and i still love it. the strings sounds are warm,the piano sounds are cool and since i don't really play all the time, i am still learning from it. the fact that you can layer sounds gives you many possiblities that make it not necessary to purchase upscale keyboards (triton, motif). the sounds on the latter are very powerful though, but just think with a little creativity and some programming chops, you can create your own vibe. And especially on the sq1 + (along with a nice sampler and some simple effects. Period

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Saturday-Aug-31-2002 at 11:53

matrix
writes:

I've never replaced a battery on an SQ1, but I have on other synths. It might be pretty simple if it is the same. I replaced one on an ESQ1, with the same message you are describing, so hopefully it will be the same. I take ZERO liability for this, so do this at your own risk. Also, this is just a hack. It would be better to have a tech do this, but... I did this and it was fine. First thing you want to do is back everything up because you will most likely lose everything when you take out the old battery. Second thing you want to do is be sure it is turned off and not plugged in when you do this. You will need a sodering iron, soder, wire cutters, wire and the correct new battery. So.... You want to open up the synth and look for a lithium ion battery. It will probably be yellow and be sodered to the main board. You should see a + and a - on opposite ends of the board or batter. If not it might be rotated. Be sure to note this so you put the new batter in right. The battery is usually sodered on to the board with little firm sticks for lack of a better description. What I did was cut the base of the sticks from the board noting which was + and which was -. I then went to a Hardware store like Eagle or Home Depot and got a replacement battery the same size, type and voltage. Apparently they are pretty standard and used for cameras and the like, so they are not hard to find. I picked up some small wire to soder to the board and to attach to the battery. I sodered the wire to the board first with the wire about 4 - 5 inches long, so I could easily attach it to the battery. I then wrapped and taped the wire to the battery. The positive end was easy as the battery tip has holes to wrap around. For the negative end I poked holes with a needle in the plastic casing around the base and slid the bare wire through the holes to make contact. I then taped both ends to hold the wire in place and then rolled the battery with the wire wrapping it into place. I then taped the battery to the board. Doing this I was very patient and careful. I also made sure the wire did not touch anything it shouldn't. I used based stereo type wire with basic plastic shielding. I only exposed as much of the wire as need to make the contact. In other words, don't let the metal of the wire touch the main board or anything but what it should be in contact with. After this the synth was fine. Doing this will probably erase everything you have on the synth, so you should back everything up. Also you should have some basic sodering skills to do this. You want the soder to be clean and make contact. You should practice a bit beforehand. Note that although this works, it is pretty hacky and takes a bit of patience and a steady hand. Set aside an hour or two to do this if you do. Again, I take no liability if you decide to do this. I'm sure others might cringe, but this did work for me. The easy alternative is to get a tech to do it. Most techs will replace the battery the right clean way for a minimal fee - anyware from $5-$25. Good luck, and don't be too worried. It is easy to take care of. Just be sure to back your stuff up as soon as possible. :)

posted Friday-Mar-08-2002 at 02:49

JOE CUMMINGS
a professional user
from USA
writes:

I HAVE BEEN USING AN ENSONIQ SQ1 FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE SOME REALLY GREAT MUSIC TO INCLUDE HOUSE, TECHNO, R&B AND RAP MUSIC. I HAVE RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM WITH THE INTERNAL BATTERY. I THINK THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE I KEEP GET A "WARNING BATTERY LOW" PROMPT WHEN I TURN ON THE KEYBOARD. IN OTHER WORDS, MY SONGS ARE NOT BEING SAVED ONCE I TURN OFF THE KEYBOARD. I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET A BATTERY TO REPLACE MY OLD ONE AND HOW HARD IT IS TO REPLCE IT MYSELF. I AM ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE SOUNDS AND MEMORY. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFO THAT I CAN USE, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT ONCE. YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.